The Pea Test
by thewarlockandtheshadowhunter
Summary: Royal AU. To marry into the Malfoy family, Narcissa Black has to pass the test they set and prove herself. Can she handle the discomfort? Written for round 12 of the Quiddtich Fanfiction Competition. DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.


**Written for Round 12 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. Additional prompts are hate, sore and generic. Based off the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea.**

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><p>Narcissa Black was not stupid. She knew that you could not marry into a family like the Malfoy's and <em>not <em>be tested. They were purists. intent on keeping their bloodline pure and without commoner blood.

However, that didn't change the fact the test was damn annoying. And uncomfortable.

It had sounded so _easy_ before. In fact, she had scoffed at the idea, rolling her eyes and declaring she would be fine, that it did not do much for Lucius Malfoy's character that he still hadn't found a wife. They had said a pea would be under her bed, not a bloody rock! And definitely not a pea that could be felt _under at least 5 mattresses._

No wonder so many girls had walked out before her, this was a small torture. Her back had never felt so sore and it felt like it would be weeks before it would go back to normal. With a frustrated sigh, she once again looked down at the multiple mattresses that she had found herself sleeping on in an attempt to get away from the supposed pea (she had not been allowed to actually see what was underneath the mattress and she found that she really would not be surprised if it was actually a rock). They were all generic, normal mattresses, so unless there was a pea in each one there was no reason for her to feel the thing pressing into her back, yet she still could. The thing was digging into her spine as though she had personally offended it and this was some kind of revenge for her actions.

It was easy to guess that from now on Naricssa was never eating peas again. She had never felt such hate for a food item before, but she supposed strange circumstances caused strange feelings.

Clenching her jaw, Narcissa once again shifted in a lame attempt to get some kind of comfort. But, as she had expected it to be, it was no use. The pea remained a persistent annoyance and Narcissa once again wished she had not inherited her father's sense of pride and stubbornness; the she would have been able to walk away without a second thought.

But no. That was not going to happen and her family had known that. Then again, using her own faults against her was easier than actually trying to arrange some kind of forced marriage. This way, the only person she had to blame was herself, rather than her father for forcing someone onto her. That was inevitably how it worked - no one in her family married for love, not really. It was all politics and keeping the bloodline pure. That was all that mattered.

_"Royals do not marry for love. It is always to keep the peace." _Her mother's words floated through her mind and she sighed, knowing that her mother was right. She still did not like it, but that meant nothing. She was stuck marrying Lucius Malfoy whether she wanted to or not.

There was nothing really wrong with Lucius, she just did not love him and resented the fact that she could not wait for someone who she did. He was a bit of snob, but then again so was she, she was not in a place to judge him for that particular flaw. Marrying him was no - and she doubted it ever would be - an appealing option.

She tried to get comfortable and avoid the pea again, not because she thought it would be effective, but because she just wanted to _do _something. Of course her movements achieved nothing and still she could feel the pea. She had given up on thoughts of sleep a few hours ago, back when there had been merely three matresses. She had resigned herself to a night of staring up at the ceiling, watching as the white paint became darker and then lighter as the sun once again started to rise.

Once again the ceiling was bright white and there was a knock at the door before one of the servants entered. "M'lady, Master Malfoy requests that you are dressed and present for breakfast in twenty minutes," she declared softly.

Narcissa nodded, sitting up in her bed. "Of course," she agreed, watching as the servant rushed to the closet to pull out the dress that she had brought with her. With a tired sigh, Narcissa stood up, letting the servant help her get changed into the more formal and constricting dress - it was green and flowed down to her ankles, completely obscuring her feet, the material covered in faint, delicate silver swirls. She let herself be guided over to the small vanity table in the room and sat down, the servant pinning her hair up before taking a small step back. Once that was done, Narcissa stood up and followed the servant towards the dining area.

There, standing by the large oak table at which she had sat the previous night, scoffing at the trouble a pea under a matress could cause, stood Lucius. "So, you managed the night then?" He drawled, seeming to be impressed by her stubborness. He was not the first to be impressed by it and Narcissa would be prepared to wager that he would not be the last either.

Narcissa simply nodded, thinking that no more explanation than her presence was needed, but realising that ignoring the question would be rude.

"Well, as you already know, we should be married within the next month," he said quietly, pulling out a nearby chair for her to sit down on. Narcissa took a deep breath before sitting down, realising that soon this was the breakfast table she would be sitting at every morning for the rest of her life.

Hopefully, she wouldn't have to sleep on any more peas to prove herself.


End file.
